Aurum City
He looked at his apartment. It was his own, bought with the lavish bonuses he earned from the beach. Four rooms, a living room large enough to hold the wildest of parties, two balconies, and of course, the kitchen.
It had never felt so small.
He packed what he needed, starting with clothes. Returning every time he needed something was a hassle. He would depart tomorrow, right after breakfast. His dinner arrived long after he was done.
He took his seat, preparing to eat while watching something. He skipped through the multitude of channels on Perus. A travel channel with the premise of going to all the previous arrival points caught his attention. The content itself wasn't anything special, but it gave him an idea.
—
"A streaming site? What for?" Nax asked. Based on Kael's psychological file, he had an idea.
"If I am having fun, why shouldn't I share it with people?"
"Which means exposing the fact that you have powers."
"Come on, nothing stays secret forever. Especially something like this. Also, who is going to know it's me?" he asked. His green eyes flashed. An illusion of a hood grew out of the neck of his sweatshirt like a sapling, covering his head, and a shadow was cast on his face down to his upper lip.
Visible but not enough to tell who he was.
"You know what, if you can get your brother's permission, I can help you with it all."
Kael pushed the screen aside, calling Thairon. He was quick to answer, even as he was tinkering with something. "Hey man. Can I stream my travels live on the internet?"
He stopped, putting the scanner in his hand down and pinching the bridge of his nose. "What the fuck for?"
"For fun," he shrugged, a childlike innocence in his eyes. "Imagine the chaos it would cause. A citizen having the power to travel between dimensions."
Thairon crossed his arms, a single eyebrow rising sharply. "Why would I want you to cause this much chaos?"
"You butchered an entire criminal organization in a day. Sky has already started with his justice crusade. Coincidentally, this will take the heat off you both. Also, Nax can hide me on the internet, and it's not like I'll go around announcing who I am."
Thairon's look wavered at the expectant look, and he sighed.
"You know what, fine. Go give them headaches they'll never forget."
—
He jumped on the tip of his toes, shaking his arms and head. He patted himself on the cheeks twice.
It was time.
He focused on a single spot in front of him, which began to waver. The multilayered spaces tried to force his portal shut, but he didn't stop. He pushed them all aside, creating a gate to another world.
One that looked to be in ruins for some reason.
He walked through, activating the camera drone, his heart beat increasing with each step.
—
Unknown Planet
He gagged.
The air tasted like ash, smoke, and burned meat. The scorch marks on the half-melted concrete buildings showed that this place had gone through a war. Smoke rising in the distance told it wasn't over yet.
The sky was covered with dark, unnatural clouds, blocking the sun except for a few stray rays.
—
Across Haven, a strange live stream was broadcasted. At first the people thought it was just an announcement for a new game or a movie. It started with a curious gamer searching for something new. He watched the stream, sending the link to his friends, who sent it to their friends. Before long, thousands were debating whether it was real or not. Most thought it was computer-generated or actually real.
Had someone finally managed to use the ruptures to travel to other dimensions?
—
Unknown Planet
He didn't stay on the spot. Using what available covers he had, he moved through the city. His viewer count was increasing by the minute. Thousands were already watching him.
He stopped, finally hearing more than the crackling fire amid the ruins of the city.
He blinked out of his position, finding himself on the roof of the building overlooking where the noises were coming from.
"Holy crap, aliens," he muttered to himself, though the camera drone picked on it.
Several tall, lithe soldiers in full-body green armor were rounding up a group of blue-skinned aliens, mainly children and women. The soldiers pushed them into boxy hovering vehicles with the gray plating at gunpoint and took off.
He blinked right on top of the lead transport vehicle, phasing out of sight. He crossed his legs and waved at the camera that was streaming his outline. His heart was threatening to burst out of his chest. The smile that accompanied his elevated pulse was something he couldn't control.
This was everything he wanted and more.
During the slow trip, he took the chance to inspect the city. The blocks, or rather circles, of buildings with smooth domes dominated the city. Two larger buildings on opposite ends with smaller ones between created what must have been a pristine, orderly appearance.
One that was consumed by chaos and flames now.
A soldier manning the turret on the rearmost vehicle removed his helmet, revealing a human beneath it.
Kael blinked, turning to the drone, pointing at the man. The drone, phased out of sight as he was, floated close to the soldier.
"Would you look at that? Humans are the villains now. The sci-fi alien movie producers aren't going to like this one bit," he commented to the camera, flashing a thumbs-up with a grin.
"Put your helmet on, you idiot. It'll just take a sniper round to pop your head like a balloon," one of the soldiers warned with a heated tone.
The soldier's lips twitched, but he put the helmet back on. "Come on, Sarge, not like anyone's left in the city to resist."
"We are still in a combat zone. Those regulations exist because someone like you got their head blown up while being careless."
"And they are speaking English too. I think we found an evil Earth-based empire," he said, feeling as if his chest were about to burst open.
—
The trucks stopped at a prison. Several more vehicles were there, offloading civilians. They were all taken into cells while he set out to explore the place. He would help as soon as he had a full understanding of the situation.
He took a deep breath.
The child in him wanted to shriek to let the world know how much he was enjoying this. The adult in him wanted to leave it for later.
He dropped down, walking through the base. There were several buildings between the four walls. The largest one, a two-story building with a narrower top floor, had a constant stream of soldiers coming and going. The remaining single-story ones were prison cells, keeping thousands of aliens locked up.
Maybe even more.
He walked through the soldiers and the doors. Since their phase did not match, he was like a ghost. They would have no idea he was ever there unless he let them know.
The inside of the base was as depressing and dark as the skies were. Dark walls, gray doors, red lights—it all created a very dystopian setting.
He set out to find the commander of this prison.
With only two floors, he didn't have to search for long. Colonel E. Johnson was the highest-ranking officer he could find. His knowledge of ranks stemmed from what all of Haven knew from the myriad of citizens that had arrived from different Earths.
He passed through the door, blinking. The inside actually had colors. A portrait and three paintings hung on the white walls, depicting an important-looking military officer and distinct battles. The desk was a rich brown color; a colored glass table sat between two white leather sofas.
"Yes sir. We have the city pacified. The current prisoner count is over ten thousand. It is causing strains in our capacity," the colonel reported.
The older man on the screen threw a short, tired glance. "Transport ships will take them to the re-education centers in a month. Meanwhile, keep them locked up."
"Yes sir."
He turned to the drone, all previous amusement gone. "Huh, re-education," he says. Sounds very imperialistic. Time to go and screw this empire over."
"After lunch, of course," he said, patting his stomach. He didn't feel hungry, a side effect his brother was working to fix. In the meantime, the watch warned him about regular meals.
—
"Questions?" he mumbled, swallowing the bite he had taken from the sandwich. "Sure. Drony, pick one at random."
He had no intention of trying to read the tens of thousands of lines appearing on the screen each second.
The drone picked the most obvious one. Even as experts concluded it wasn't computer-generated, was this real?
"Well, no matter how unbelievable it might be, this is all real."
How came the next?
"I have abilities, which I won't tell how I got because, you know, it's a secret."
Tens of thousands wanted to know why he was even streaming this in the first place. Why expose himself like this?
"Why am I streaming?" he shrugged, his shoulders rising and falling quickly. "I always wanted to go on a grand adventure for the fun of it. I just wanted to share it with everyone else. If you guys don't want it, I can't end it now."
He reached for the drone, but a wall of nos and pleas to continue stopped him.
"Why is my face hidden? I think that's obvious. When I return home, I would like to go out without being a target."
The next question was about what he really wanted to do. "Probably bring this empire down."
"You'll see."
What if the governments find you?
Kael grinned, cleaning his hands. "Don't worry, they can't track anything."
"Lunch is over; time to go and be a hero."
—
He boarded a shuttle that was leaving the planet. Eleven gray, monotonous ships were parked over the planet. They were in an arrow formation, with a kilometer-long ship at the front, two half-sized ships on either side, and eight quarter-sized ships behind in two lines. It looked very orderly from the cockpit.
He forced his lips shut so he wouldn't squeak and jump up and down like a kid in a candy shop.
"Alright, depending on what I find there, this could get really messy. People below eighteen, you are warned."
One of the soldiers approached the shuttle, saluting. "Lieutenant Garlow, Admiral Kalson wants you at the meeting to report the situation on the ground."
"I'll head there immediately."
He flashed a grin at the camera and followed the lieutenant, rubbing his hands. The soldier made a beeline for the bridge. He waited for the correct opportunity. Just at the end of the corridor leading to the bridge, he cast an illusion. Phasing himself back into the real space, he pulled the lieutenant to his pocket dimension, knocking him out with a blow to the neck.
Another illusion, and he stood there as the perfect copy of the soldier.
By the time the illusion reached the bridge door, he took its place. The soldiers at the door stood straighter and opened the door. His eyes immediately locked on the admiral at the head of the table. He was old, his face a mass of wrinkles, yet his eyes burned with intensity.
Considering the number of stars and other decorations on their shoulders, the eight people gathered in the room must be the high command of the fleet. None looked at him, each engrossed with the tablets on their hands.
"Lieutenant, I wished to hear the situation on the ground directly from the source. Report."
He smirked, walking closer. "Man, it sucks down there. The air is all dark and gloomy. Breathing inside these helmets is hell. The men are depressed and don't get me started on food."
The commanders, so disinterested in what he had to say for the most part, suddenly raised their heads. They shared glances, thinking they must have heard him wrong.
"But…" He snapped his fingers, pointing at the admiral. "I know a brilliant solution. We bring in some pole dancers, and it will boost the men's morale straight through the atmosphere."
The admiral blinked once and rose from his seat, glaring at Garlow. "Lieutenant, have you lost your mind?"
"The stress must have gotten into him. We should send him to the medical wing," another officer, one that threatened to break the chair he was on, said.
"You know what, fatty?" he hissed like a serpent, appearing behind the officer in question, holding the back of his seat. "Why don't you get off your seat and walk to burn some of that blubber off?" he said, pushing the man off and taking his seat.
The oversized officer, who had fallen face down first, rose slowly, looking at him with lips parting slightly.
"Damn, it feels good to finally be able to rest," he said, grinning, a breath escaping through his nose.
Kalson raised his wrist to his lip level, eyes locked on the clearly distressed soldier. "Security to the bridge. Lieutenant Garlow is suffering a severe case of PTSD. Retrieve him immediately for psychiatric evaluation."
When no answer came, he looked down at his wrist.
"Looking for this?" he said, his grin stretching as he flicked Kalson's communicator up and down.
"What the?!" the admiral exclaimed, reaching for his side arm. He found it missing too, only to see Garlow juggling it along with the comms and weapons of everyone in the bridge. They went round and round in a circle.
He grasped the arms of his seat and pushed himself back, eyes wide. A gate opened on the other side of the table, with Garlow throwing everything inside.
"Ta da!" he said, arms stretched to the side, posing.
"You are not Garlow," Kalson said suddenly.
"No shit."
"I have only one question. Are you ready?"
"For what?"
"Why, retribution of course," he said, a devilish look on his face as he pulled his plastic gloves tight.
The officers burst into action, trying to reach the door. He slammed his foot on the ground, stretching the distance between the table and the door. The closer they got, the further away the door moved.
He caught Admiral Kalson first, reaching down. He pulled the old man's underwear up, bending him in half. He thrust it forward, wrapping the underwear around Kalson's head and kicking him away.
—
Haven
Thermion
Moonrise Palace
"Director, this better be a well-planned and executed prank," he said, watching the livestream. He winced as the streamer captured two officers, pulling their underwear out in the most painful wedgie. The first man's white boxer, stretched to the edge, went over the second man's head and vice versa.
"As far as we can tell, it is real. Certainly not computer-generated, and something of this magnitude can't be just practical effects," Director Velis said, loosening his tie.
"Who is streaming this? Find me a name," he demanded. This was clear proof that someone had found a way to open ruptures on purpose. It was more than simply dangerous.
This would affect the whole world.
"Something is stonewalling our efforts to track it. It's not just us either. We are hearing that the Union and the Republic are failing too."
"How?," he asked in a breathless voice. "How could this be real?" How could anyone have mastered the ruptures so quickly? Neither the Republic nor the Union was more advanced than the Kingdom.
Just how?
The director bowed deeply. "We… don't know."
"Unless…" Octavian thought, his eyes widening. "I am sending you a list. I want every expert we have on these subjects, as well as our entire intelligence pool, for a comprehensive meeting."
"Yes, Your Grace."